


Colored out the Lines

by cleanlittlesecret



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: F/F, VRAINS Week 2018, post-Season 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-08 23:30:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15254457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cleanlittlesecret/pseuds/cleanlittlesecret
Summary: "As repayment for giving me a good laugh, I’ll show you somewhere special. We can get there in a flash on my motorcycle."(Written for the prompt "first date.")





	Colored out the Lines

Hayami left the headquarters of SOL Technologies through a side door and hurried down the strip of concrete and stairs that led to the street. The sun had already dropped low enough to cast the building’s shadow long before her, and in the sheltering darkness, she let her teeth sink into her lip and tears sting her eyes. Just as she reached the last stair before the road, someone called out, “Hayami-san.”

She halted on the step. After the day she’d had, her name felt ugly with poison, cracked around her ears like a whip, but that voice took the sting from it and soothed it into something musical.

A woman dressed in some kind of riding outfit leaned against a motorcycle parked on the edge of the road and smiled at Hayami. “Is Zaizen Akira here today?”

_The chief?_  Hayami nodded as she set her hand on the rail beside her. “Yes, but he hasn’t ended his shift yet. You are...?”

“Bessho Emma. I’m an old coworker of Akira’s—well, not that old, I hope.”

“I see.” Hayami had noticed the mysterious motorcycle-riding woman that sometimes hung around the building before, but she had never connected her appearances to her boss. Her eyebrows furrowed. “Um, how did you know my name?”

“Akira’s told me a little about this super cute assistant he has who is easily flustered, so when I saw you, I figured it had to be you.”

Each syllable sounded like pieces of candy on a string, and Hayami’s throat dried. “H-He...called me cute...?”

“No, but I know enough to read between the lines. Akira doesn’t know how to appreciate the finer things in life.” Bessho winked, and despite the sinking of her heart, Hayami’s face grew warm. Was this woman being what people called  _charming_? Hayami couldn’t help but feel drawn towards her, but nevertheless she forced herself to focus.

“Do you need Manager Zaizen for something?”

“Not really. I came here to see what was up with him since I haven’t heard from him in a while, but I think I’m much more interested in what’s up with you now.” Bessho left the motorcycle to step closer. “Why did you look upset before I spoke to you?”

“Oh...that. Um.” Hayami wiped her eyes and fidgeted with a lock of her hair. “It’s just...I got scolded for accidentally spilling coffee on Manager Zaizen...” She already felt foolish for getting upset over something so minor, so when Bessho covered a giggle with her hand, Hayami’s face burned. “Please don’t laugh at me, Bessho-san!”

Bessho waved her hand in front of her face. “Sorry, sorry. I’m laughing at the thought of Akira in that situation, not at you. Was the coffee hot?”

She twisted her hair around her finger. “...Yes...”

“Then I bet he’s not in any mood to see me.” Bessho clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward. “So why don’t you and I spend some time together instead?”

Hayami stared at her. “Huh?”

“As repayment for giving me a good laugh, I’ll show you somewhere special. We can get there in a flash on my motorcycle.”

“Well, um, right now is a little...” Hayami looked at the ground.

“I won’t keep you out for long, I promise.” Bessho stepped close enough to rest her hand just below Hayami’s on the rail, close enough so Hayami couldn’t help but look her in the face. “So how about it?”

Despite how tired she was from work, how she had been looking forward to eating dinner and taking a bath, Hayami found the offer appealing. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to spend a little time with someone who seemed interested in her and was quick to laugh off her mistakes—and it certainly didn’t hurt that Bessho was  _gorgeous._  ”...Okay, but just for a little while. I have work in the morning.”

Bessho’s red lips split into a grin. “Got it. I’ll keep things short.” She stepped back, giving Hayami a short reprieve as Bessho searched through her pockets until she produced a hairband. “Here. I have only one helmet with me, but you can at least pull your hair back so it won’t get too tangled.”

Hayami flinched, and her fidgeting gained speed. “Um, I-I don’t want to risk losing your hairband—” “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got tons of them all over my apartment.” Bessho tilted her head. “Do you not know how to put your hair into a ponytail? I can help you.”

Hayami waved her hand. “That won’t be necessary, I do know how to do it, but...” Bessho watched her until she made a small noise of defeat. “...Okay. Thank you.” Hayami tied a quick ponytail with the hairband, touched her hairclips to ensure they were still in place, and let her hands drift back towards her ears— _oh, no, they were really sticking out now..._

“Is something wrong?”

Hayami fought the urge to bite her lip again as she struggled to meet Bessho’s gaze. “Do I look funny like this?”

Her expression solemn, Bessho took Hayami’s hands in her own and lowered them from her ears. Her bright eyes took in every detail of Hayami’s face before Bessho broke into a beaming smile. “Nope. You’re just as cute as I thought you’d be. Now let’s go!”

Hayami yelped as Bessho pulled her from the step and to the motorcycle. She had never ridden a motorcycle before, so she felt more than a little awkward as she was directed to sit behind Bessho—wait, where was she supposed to put her feet?

“You ready?” Bessho said. “Hold on!”

Hayami’s hands hovered in the air. “Um, hold on  _where?_ ” The motorcycle lunged forward, and with a squeal, she wrapped her arms around Bessho’s torso. Realizing what she’d done, Hayami blushed, but Bessho didn’t make any smart comments, so she stayed quiet as well.

Riding a motorcycle was nothing like being in a car—no walls to protect her, no feeling of stability—and she wasn’t sure she liked it, but Bessho was confident enough to make her feel at least a little safe. The motorcycle raced to the city’s edge and beyond and didn’t slow until they were on a curving road near the top of a small mountain. Bessho guided the motorcycle to the side of the road and parked, and as Hayami regained her breath from the ride, she let go of Bessho to look around. There was nothing here except trees and the road—why would Bessho bring her here?

“You all right?” Bessho glanced back over her shoulder, and Hayami nodded. “Good.” She dismounted the motorcycle and stretched her arms towards the sky. “We’re going on a little hike now. Do you need some help?”

Hayami had braced one leg against the ground, but she couldn’t find her balance, and the feeling of being about to fall flat on the dirt made her cling to the motorcycle. “M...Maybe?” Bessho offered a hand, and Hayami took it for support as she got off the seat. Once they were both steady on their legs, Bessho led the way into the woods.

They slipped into a path that was barely visible through the tall grass, and as the trees covered them in shadows, Hayami drew closer to Bessho to avoid losing her. Where were they going? This was getting creepy, and she was starting to regret agreeing to go off somewhere with a near total stranger. What if they ended up lost in the woods? What if they ran into a murderer out here? What if Bessho was an assassin hired by SOL Technologies to get rid of Hayami for making too many mistakes on her job?!

“Almost there,” Bessho said, smoothly ignoring the way Hayami squealed when her voice broke the quiet. The forest parted before them, and when they reached the light at the end of the trees, Hayami gasped, and Bessho laughed. “Pretty, isn’t it?”

Bessho had led her to a place that overlooked the entirety of Den City. The ground stretched before them until it narrowed into a point like an arrowhead, and along the cliff’s edge ran a rusty guardrail that had probably been installed there long before Hayami was born. Between them and the guardrail was a thick carpet of wildflowers, all different kinds in all different colors like a pool of petals. Bessho took a few steps into the flowers and faced Hayami.

“Well?”

“It’s beautiful,” Hayami said in a hushed voice.

“Right?”

“How did you learn about this place?”

Bessho smiled. “I’m a professional at finding beautiful things. It’s one of my many talents.” She turned to cross the flowers to the guardrail, and Hayami followed, careful to avoid trampling the flowers too much as she joined Bessho. From here, Den City was an infinite expanse of buildings, lights flickering and glowing among them in the late afternoon, but if Hayami looked hard enough, she would have sworn she could pick out her workplace. “Hayami-san, how long have you worked for SOL Technologies?”

“Three years.”

Bessho looked at her. “Do you like working there?”

“Of course! I-I mean—” Hayami backpedaled as she realized she’d given the same automatic response as always. That question usually came with the threat that an unenthusiastic answer would endanger her position, but Bessho wasn’t one of her SOL superiors.

Bessho raised her eyebrows. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone what you say about that company.” She tilted her head. “So what do you really think?”

“Well...” Hayami chewed her lip as she pieced together an answer. Remembering her earlier theory about Bessho being a SOL assassin, she eyed the ancient guardrail and took a slow step back from the cliff. “Working there can be really stressful, especially now that Link VRAINS has gone offline for repairs, but I like feeling like I’m working in a bold new field, and things are developed there all the time, so it never gets boring. Whenever people talk about something new SOL Technologies has created, I feel proud of my job, even though I can’t make those things myself.”

“I see.” Bessho grinned. “I was right. You are an interesting person.”

“Oh, um...thank you, I guess.” Nothing she’d said sounded that interesting to her. Hayami fidgeted with her hands. “What do you do for a living, Bessho-san?”

Bessho winked and raised a finger to her lips. “That’s a secret.”

“Huh?” Hayami couldn’t stop herself from whining. “No fair! I told you all that stuff about my job, but you won’t tell me anything about yours?”

Bessho giggled. “Sorry, but it’s all confidential. I could endanger my work if I tell anyone too much. However...” She brushed her hair from her face. “I guess I can say I search for new things. I’m always on the lookout for something interesting.”

“You mean like this place?”

“Not exactly, but you get the spirit. I’m always learning things and making discoveries—that’s what I like about the world.” The wind played with Bessho’s hair while she talked, and the scents of wildflowers swirled around them.

“Sounds nice,” Hayami murmured. By this time, the sun had dropped far enough to darken the sky, and Den City was coming to life with neon signs and electronic boards. The shifting cityscape reminded Hayami of how jewels glittered as light hit their facets, but the image was shattered from her mind by the growling of her stomach.

“Getting hungry?”

She cringed. “Y-Y...I should go home now—”

“How about I buy you dinner?” Bessho flashed a wink. “I’m not ready to say goodbye to you yet, so it’ll be my treat.”

Once again, Hayami felt herself being drawn to this mysterious woman and her suggestions, so she couldn’t help but nod. “All right then. Sorry for causing you trouble.”

“It’s no trouble at all. This is the most fun I’ve had since the VRAINS went down.”


End file.
